Chaco Canyon

We are about halfway through our travels in the Southwest, and we're having a wonderful time! When we look back on everything we've seen and done, it seems like we must have been gone far longer than 3 weeks. We've certainly packed a lot into this time, but it has not been a frantic pace that leaves no room for fun and relaxation. We've had some pretty good workouts on hikes that have been made more challenging by the altitude, although we seem to be getting acclimated to that.

From the outside, it may seem that our vacation has been all about rocks. Looking back on the blog we see underground rocks, pinnacled rocks, hoodoo rocks, really really big vertical rocks, bizarre multicolored rocks, vast canyons of rocks... One might think we are a couple of geology geeks. Admittedly, we are. We both find nature quite fascinating, and regularly find something that requires us to stand in absolute awe. Hopefully our readers have seen the beauty and not become totally bored with us. I can just hear someone say, "Holy Crap---More photos of rocks!!!"

So as you may have noted with relief, lately we have reduced the rock coverage and have been on the "Historical Culture" leg of our journey. With our time in Mesa Verde, now in Chaco Canyon, and soon to be in Canyon de Chelly, we have been fascinated with the intricacies of early Puebloan culture, and charmed by its interconnection to nature. This has been especially strong here at Chaco Canyon. A large part of our enthusiasm has been due to a couple of ranger-guided tours we took. One was a more nuts-and-bolts session, with an extremely involved and knowledgeable park employee who explained some of the ways that their culture influenced their huge buildings. The other was a much more esoteric talk/walk with a park volunteer who encouraged us to look at this canyon, and the world, through Chacoan eyes, and therefore alter our perceptions.  For example, our guide asked our group of about a dozen to stand facing a 100-foot tall, 500-foot wide rock wall from a distance, and relate what we see. I made the observation that the wall appeared to curve gently in an arc, and that the ground before it did the same, so it appeared that we were in a huge natural amphitheater. Also, it did not look like other walls in the canyon; with a relatively flat surface and no rubble debris at the bottom, it appeared to have been artificially shaped.

She then asked us to listen, and she let out a yell. From the rock wall about 500 feet away, a beautiful loud echo resonated. Even a hand clap produced an easily audible echo from that distance. In fact, she pointed to a man-made mound on the other side of the canyon, about a kilometer away, from which she said a voice will plainly echo in this amphitheater. The acoustics in this place that was occupied up until about 1300 AD were perfect.

"Great curved wall that speaks"

On either side of the bowl were situated the two greatest houses of the Chacoan system, one of which was the largest building in the new world until 1881. So it seems that the visual and the audio effects could have been used for maximum dramatic effect for the throngs of pilgrims who came to this place. We then took a walk along the base of the cliff, observing the many petroglyphs and the holes in the rock that had been stuffed with offerings...

...and she pointed out a hole near the center, just big enough for a human to crawl through...

It leads to a chamber several meters inside the rock big enough to hold 4 people. We could imagine the drama of figures emerging from the rock upon command of a voice so far away. In fact, the native name for this rock translates to "great curved rock that speaks."

The entire complex is laid out on a north-south axis, accurate to less than one degree, even though the north star they were using at the time was about six degrees off.  She showed us the notches on the horizon that mark the exact spot the sun rises and sets on the winter solstice... possibly one of their reasons for choosing this site.  In fact, the reason this enthusiastic volunteer left a professorship in physics to live and do research at Chaco is to look for such connections between culture and astronomy.

This talk lasted until after sunset, which meant that we had to negotiate the 76-mile drive back to our room in fading light, and 16 of those miles are on a dark, bouncy, dusty, washboard road with a stream bed crossing prone to flash flooding, and roamed by free-range cattle and sheep. This was NOT fun. But it was worth it.

---So worth it, that we decided to do it all over again on Sunday. We just wanted to experience more of Chaco Canyon. We hiked to the top of the mesa, to the remains of a couple of other houses. On the way we passed offering holes carved into the bedrock, fossilized trails of shrimp and other creatures from when this was part of a vast ocean...

We wondered about these odd markings in the sandstone, until we read that they are ancient shrimp burrows in sand.

A thick layer of rock in the walls are filled with fossils

...and the remains of Chacoan roads, 30 feet wide and lines with stones, that brought pilgrims and traders to this center of culture, religion and politics. We were also delighted to find tiny pieces of pottery, painted with the traditional Chacoan black white patterns, near the houses. Tradition would dictate that pilgrims  bring pottery to these places and shatter it as an offering.  What an offering it must have been to build something of beauty and then destroy it as a sacrifice. It was very special for us to hold a piece of that history, imagining the hands that built it a thousand years ago. We left them atop rocks along the trail so others would see them.

Here are some photos from Chaco Canyon. Since the structures are made of rock, it could be said that we are reverting to our rock obsession. But these are rocks with a human story. We would love to know more of those stories.

The Navajo have deep reservations about disturbing anything at this sacred site. So when they were hired to pierce this rock wall to install a drain, a medicine man required that a rock with the carved hourglass symbol for the Navajo god "Born for Water" be placed above it.

The ruins of a Great Kiva. Wood planks were placed atop the rectangular boxes to create a "foot drum" and participants in a ceremony would dance upon them. The stone box left of center was the fire pit. The stone benches around the bottom are seating for the spirits of ancestors, who watch to be sure ceremonies are properly conducted.

For some unknown reason, certain rooms had doorways built into the corners, as in this upper story. Other doors sometimes would feature "T"-shaped doors, part of which is shown in the foreground. That shape seems to have some special significance in the culture.

Pueblo Bonito, the largest Chaco Great House. This photo shows part of the 1941 rockfall that destroyed about 40 rooms.

Inside Pueblo Bonito

This Elk casually sauntered across the road in front of us.

Yep....another rock!--- But this one guards one of the entrances to the canyon

This character guards the handicapped parking spot. He might also be looking for a handout.

Atop the north mesa.

View of the southern entrance to the canyon, from the mesa top. Pilgrims from the south would enter here.

Pilgrims from the north would first view the canyon from this spot and see Pueblo Bonito---the largest structure they would ever see. Buildings were four, or possibly even five, stories tall. Surely it must have given the impression of a strong and powerful place.

Pueblo Alta, on the mesa top, guided pilgrims from the north to the canyon below. Here is where we found pottery shards.

Looking down on another Great House.

The largest Chacoan Kiva, showing the T-shaped opening. Below that is an underground entryway. The notches in the wall  have a meaning that is uncertain, although some of them align with significant solstice points. This Kiva, the "Great wall that speaks," and Pueblo Alto on the opposite mesa top, are all aligned north/south.